Computer networks provide computer users with a means of communicating and transferring information electronically. Although such communication may be a simple transfer of information between two users at separate computers, it often involves several network computers which cooperate to share workloads in performing various functions. This cooperation, called distributed processing, allows hardware and software to communicate, share resources, and exchange information freely. The functionality a network provides through distributed processing depends on network devices such as general purpose network servers and thin servers.
Typically, a general purpose network server is a computer running administrative software that controls access to all or part of the network and network resources. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the network server provides network users with the ability to share files, programs, and printing capabilities with other computers on the network. By contrast, a thin server is a computer that contains just enough hardware and software to support a particular function that users can share on the network, such as access to files on a storage device, access to CD-ROM drives, printing, or Internet access. An example of such a thin server is illustrated in the network of FIG. 2. The thin server concept arises out of a desire to not pay for functions in a computer that are unnecessary. Thus, a thin server is specially designed to perform certain aspects of a general purpose network server's functionality and not to provide other aspects of that functionality. In general, a thin server provides a subset of the functionality offered by a general purpose network server. A thin server design is optimized to deliver only the capabilities for which it is designed without including unnecessary software or hardware features related to other general purpose network servers, thus providing a lower cost solution.
The thin server advantages of dedicated functionality and cost savings make the task of network printing an ideal application for thin servers. The thin print server shown in FIG. 2 is dedicated to the task of network printing, and it provides cost benefits due in part to its small, lightweight form which makes it easy to move and locate practically anywhere on the network. Many networks therefore employ a dedicated thin print server which coordinates the printing for all the printers on the network. The Hewlett Packard JetDirect 4000 Print Appliance is one example of such a thin server. The JetDirect 4000 Print Appliance provides print spooling and queue management without providing any other capabilities normally provided by a general purpose network server. The device is called an “appliance” because it performs this particular task with a minimal amount of configuration requirements and can be added to or removed from a network without affecting any other servers on the network.
Although a thin print server performs specific functions for users of network printers more efficiently than a general network server might, it does not initially provide, or later maintain, the availability of the network printers on the network. Network administrators make network printers and other network resources available to users in a consistent and reliable fashion by installing, managing, and monitoring them to ensure their readiness and accessibility. These administrative tasks are typically accomplished using administrative software installed on a general network server. Both FIGS. 1 & 2 illustrate network printer administration functions being accomplished through print administrative software that has been installed on a general network server. An example of such a software product is Hewlett Packard's Web JetAdmin, which is installed on a general purpose network server and allows network administrators to perform many tasks associated with managing and monitoring network printers. Using a browser, network administrators can manage printers on the network from any network computer, not just the computer on which the Web JetAdmin software is installed. Web JetAdmin presents a summarized view of all network printers to a network administrator, and allows administrators to create and maintain shared network printers through discovering, installing, configuring, grouping, troubleshooting, assigning printer drivers to, and creating print paths for, network printers.
The current network printing environment therefore typically comprises the separate use of thin print servers to coordinate printing (i.e., provide print spooling and queue management) among all shared network printers, and print administrative software running on general purpose network servers or other dedicated computers to create and maintain shared network printers to ensure their readiness and accessibility for network users. Although network printing has in general been simplified and improved through this manner of network printer management, numerous disadvantages remain using this approach.
First of all, installation of the print administrative software on a customer's general network server, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 & 2, creates the common risks of general network server downtime and inadvertent damage to current network servers usually associated with a bad installation of the software. A security risk also exists when installing the print administrative software onto an existing server on a customer's network from the possible creation of a “back door” into network servers, allowing users unauthorized access to server functions normally reserved for network administrators. In addition, network server load balancing issues occur when installing the print administrative software onto a customer's network which require a customer to identify and select a server already on their network that can provide the disk space, memory resources, and CPU resources required to run the software package. The additional work load placed on the general network server decreases its performance and speed. Installation of the print administrative software on a customer's general purpose network server also requires a specific configuration of the software in order to match the customer's network design, rather than just a general out-of-the-box or one-size-fits-all configuration of the print administrative software.
One solution to these various problems, as illustrated by the network of FIG. 3, would be to dedicate a separate, general purpose server or computer to handle both the thin print server functions and the network printer administrative functions. This way, installation of the print administrative software on the dedicated server or computer avoids the problems of general network server downtime, decreased performance in a general network server, and increased security risks to general network servers. However, the disadvantages to such a solution include the added costs of having to purchase and maintain a separate general purpose server or computer strictly for the purpose of acting as a print server and network print administrator. This alternative also requires finding room in which to place the added server or computer and increases the cost for energy to keep it running continuously. In addition, should the server or computer go down, it would need to be replaced and reconfigured before users are able to print again. These tasks require significant additional intervention by the network administrator.
Accordingly, the need exists for a cost effective way to provide general management of network printers and accomplish the tasks of a thin print server in coordinating network printer functions, while avoiding disadvantages suffered by current approaches.